Types of programming languages Flashcards
What is a programming paradigm?
A different approach to using a programming language to solve a problem
State the two categories of programming paradigm
Imperative
Declarative
State one type of imperative paradigm
Procedural
Object Oriented
State one type of declarative paradigm
Logic
Functional
Define imperative programming
Code that clearly specifies the actions to be performed
Define declarative programming
Code that focuses on stating the desired result rather than a series of instructions that need to be performed to get the result
Define procedural programming
Code which uses a sequence of instructions carried out step-by-step, which may be contained within procedures
When should procedural programming be used?
For problems that can easily be expressed as a series of instructions using programming constructs
State two advantages of procedural programming
- Can be easily applied to a wide range of problems
- relatively easy to write and interpret
State two languages that use procedural programming
Pascal
Python
Logo
Name a subsection of procedural programming
Structured programming
State the programming structures of structured programming
Sequence
Selection
Iteration
Recursion
Define sequence
Where code is executed line-by-line from top to bottom
Define selection
Define iteration
Where a block of code is executed a certain number of times or while a condition is met
Define recursion
Where functions are executed until a base case condition is met
- functions are expressed in terms of themselves
Define object oriented programming
A programming language where the code is made up of units called objects, which are instances of a class
What are objects?
Instances of a class which have their own attributes and methods and can interact with each other
What is a class?
A template defining the attributes and methods that can be used to create an object
Define encapsulation
A method of maintaining data integrity by only allowing class methods to access data in an object’s attributes
Define instantiation
The process of creating an object from a class template
What is a constructor method?
A special method within the class that runs when an object of that class type is created, it allows a new object to be created
Define inheritance
Where a class retains the methods and attributes of its parent class as well as having its own
Define overriding
Where a method is redefined within a subclass so that it functions differently and produces a different output
What are attributes?
Data recorded as a variable defining the properties associated with an object
What are methods?
Program subroutines that represent an action an object can perform
Define polymorphism
Where an object behaves differently depending on their class
What is a setter?
A method that sets the value of a given attribute
What is a getter?
A method which retrieves the value of a given attribute
When is object oriented programming used?
For problems with lots of reusable components which have similar characteristics
What is the main advantage of OOP?
It makes programs that are reusable and easy to update and maintain
Why are getters and setters used?
To ensure that attributes cannot be directly accessed and edited by users
State the advantage of encapsulation
Helps keep data related to an object safe
Why are attributes declared as private?
So they can only be altered by public methods
State the advantage of inheritance
It allows programmers to effectively reuse certain components and properties whilst making changes
State the two types of polymorphism
Overriding
Overloading
State 3 advantages of OOP
- Allows for high level of re usability enabled my inheritance and polymorphism
- Classes can be used across multiple projects
- Code is more reliable because encapsulation protects attributes from being directly accessed and accidentally altered
- Code for other classes can be produced independent of the others
- Can result in high-quality piece of software with fewer vulnerabilities
- Modular structure makes it easy to maintain and update
- High level of abstraction which saves time and effort
State two disadvantages of OOP
- Requires an alternative style of thinking because it is a different style of programming
- no suited to all types of problems, especially where few components are reused
- Unsuitable for smaller programs
Define functional programming
The concept of reusing a set of functions
Code is made up of lines of function calls combined together
State an example of a functional language
Haskell
C#
Java
Define logic programming
Code which defines a set of facts and rules based on the problem
Queries are used to find answers to the problem
State an example of a logic programming language
Prolog
Where is assembly language useful and why?
In embedded systems because it allows direct interaction with the hardware
Why are assembly language commands processor specific?
Because they directly interact with the CPU’s special purpose registers
What is the purpose of the opcode?
To specify the instruction to be performed
What is the purpose of the operand?
To hold a value which is related to the data in which the instruction is to be performed
What is the purpose of addressing modes?
To allow for much greater number of locations for data to be stored
What do addressing modes do?
They specify how the operand should be interpreted
Define immediate addressing
The operand is the actual value upon which the instruction is to be performed
Define direct addressing
The operand gives the address of the value upon which the instruction is to be performed
Define indirect addressing
The operand gives the address of a register which holds another address, where the data is located
Define index addressing
The address of the operand is determined by adding the operand to a value in an index register
Why is index addressing used?
To add an offset in order to access data stored contiguously in memory (arrays)
